FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of a connector having a conventional lock structure. This connector includes a male connector 101 and a female connector 102 arranged to fit to the male connector 101. The lock structure of this connector includes an engagement projection 107 arranged on an outer surface of one connector housing 103 of the male and female connectors 101, 102 having multipolarized terminals 106, a lock aim 115 having an engagement claw 116 arranged to latch onto the engagement projection 107 and arranged on an outer surface of the other housing 104 via an elastically deformable hinge-like leg 117, and a press operation lever 118 arranged on a rear end of the lock arm 115 extending rearward than the hinge-like leg 117. This press operation lever 118 includes a pair of end pieces 119 extending outward from both sides of the press operation lever 118 and curved downward so as to continue to an outer surface of an upper wall of the connector housing 104. With the pair of end pieces 119, the connector having the lock structure can provide the improved rigidity to the press operation lever 118 without an increase in size (refer to Patent Literature 1). However, in the connector disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a connector fitting operation force tends to increase with increasing number of the multipolarized terminals 106 of the male and female connectors 101, 102.
Therefore, there is employed a lever type connector arranged to reduce the fitting operation force using a lever (refer to Patent Literature 2). FIG. 22A is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional lever type connector, and FIG. 22B is an enlarged view of a portion shown in FIG. 22A. As shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, this lever type connector 201 shown in Patent Literature 2 includes a connector housing 202, a wire cover 240 attached to the connector housing 202 to lead out an electric wire, and a lever 230 rotatably attached to the connector housing 202 and arranged to rotate to make a mating connector moved toward the connector housing 202 and fitted to the connector housing 202. The wire cover 240 includes a lock portion 245 formed at a tip end of a lock arm 242. The lever 230 includes a lever claw portion 236 arranged to latch onto the lock portion 245 and a lock protection portion 237 formed on an engagement side of the lever claw port on 236 so as to cover the lock portion 245. By covering the lock portion 245 with the lock protection portion 237 of the lever claw portion 236, the lever type connector 201 prevents the lock portion 245 from being damaged or deformed.